Hellfire
by NCISVILLE
Summary: He never thought this would happen to him. He never thought he'd begin to burn from the inside out. He never thought he'd see Skye again, let alone like this. Hellfire AU.Oneshot.


**I had to write a short story for my creative writing class this semester and this is the result. Hope you like it!**

 **Hellfire**

"Grant, take a breath. It's going to be okay." Skye said softly creeping towards him ever slowly in the fiery abandoned warehouse. The flames setting the warehouse ablaze were enough to illuminate the dark, starless sky outside.

"Get away!" he screamed a burst of fire exploding towards her with his hand he'd used to try and tell her to step back.

Ward scurried back further into the corner trying to save his friend, and almost, should have been, girlfriend. He tucked his large hands that were glowing a bright red-orange under his crossed arms trying not to cry out in pain. Every nerve in his body seemed to be on fire, trying to burn him alive from the inside out. He knew he had a high pain tolerance, he'd been trained as a special agent after all, but this was almost too much pain to function with. An agonized scream escaped his lips and once again Skye advanced on him.

"Grant, listen to me. You have to breathe and try to control it."

"I don't know how!" he yelled in reply curling further into a ball, as much as his blue jeans and faded brown leather jacket would let him anyway.

Much to his chagrin, she came closer to him. Didn't she understand he could potentially set fire to her? Why did she care about him anyway? She was the one who had shot him four times before. He had betrayed her before. Why was she now suddenly concerned about his wellbeing? Another wave of pain began to consume him, much like a fire consumed oxygen, and he let out another agonized scream as fire exploded from the palms of his hands burning his clothes. His skin felt like fire ants were crawling inside just trying to spit acid and consume him from the inside out.

"Breathe." she repeated, even more gentle this time.

Skye was mere inches from him and he took the time to actually observe her for the first time since she'd arrived minutes before. She'd cut her beautiful brunette hair just above her shoulders and instead of it being the ruler straight hair he'd known so well, it was wavy. Her face looked the same as the one he'd fallen in love with before, but her eyes…that's what had really changed. When he'd first met her they had such a light and playful tone; her brown eyes at that time could have rivaled a puppy. The eyes he now looked into had seen death and warfare. They weren't cold, but they also weren't the same playful ones he'd had the privilege to continuously stare at and get lost in. As he looked into her eyes and felt a spark return to his chest and he wasn't sure if it was chemistry or just his body burning him still. He felt himself breathing slower now and he wondered just when that had happened.

"Good." Skye said to him, her lips stretching up in a small smile at this victory.

"Make it stop," he pleaded. "Make it stop."

"I can't. Your DNA is changing. I know it's scary but I'm going to help you as much as I can. Panicking will only make it worse so you need to breathe and stay calm. Okay?"

He nodded his head and tried to swallow the cry of pain wanting to escape. She reached out to place a hand on his knee but he saw just in time and quickly yelled, "Stop! I'll burn you. I'm too hot." Leave it to her to make a joke as he feels like he's being burned alive.

"Well I could have told you that. Have you seen those cheekbones of yours?" she retorted with a grin.

"What do I do?" he asked ignoring her quip and looking to her for guidance.

"We get to a motel and sleep. You need to rest and let your body make the changes it needs to."

He scoffed and replied, "You mean burn me alive?"

"Hey, I went through this too Grant."

"And why are you suddenly calling me Grant? You've only called me by my first name once. It's always been Ward or Robot."

She seemed to pause and consider her words before she said, "You're different now. Figured we should try and start over."

"So this isn't… some rouse? You're not lulling me into a false sense of security only to finish me off later?" Ward asked with a hint of bitterness in his tone.

His dig seemed to have affected her more than she wanted to let on. Her eyes got a little darker and he could see something he wasn't use to seeing. Regret.

"Let's just find someplace to crash tonight."

Her voice was much more distant now. Gone were the caring and playful remarks. She had switched into Agent mode and for a moment he wished he hadn't said anything. Finding a motel was much easier said than done. He had been hiding in an abandoned warehouse miles away from the nearest town, trying to make a home, when he'd found a strange looking crystal and picked it up. He thought he was going to die for a moment as his body began to harden into stone. In the next moment he felt his body begin to burn and the room around him burst into flames. Time slipped away as liquid fire moved through his body and singed all the veins.

"I forgot just how good you are at hiding." Skye spoke out of the blue, interrupting their awkward silence as she drove.

"You can thank Garrett for that." he replied bitterly, staring out the window as the fire burned within.

Skye spoke breaking him out of quick trip down memory lane.

"I'm going to give you a sedative. Considering your gift it should really help."

"Gift?!" he cried now outraged. "This is a curse! My body is burning me alive! I have fire coming out of my hands! How the hell do you figure this is a gift? I can't touch anything without setting it ablaze!"

"Calm down!" Skye yelled, subtle panic in her voice.

Ward looked down at his hands and noticed they were about to spit fire out. He'd already begun to leave singe marks on his pants. Seeing the fire try to crawl its' way out of his hands again, he began to breathe rapidly.

"Deep breaths, you're just hyperventilating."

Skye pulled over and in his panic, Ward grabbed the door handle and got out of the SUV beginning to run away. The fire continued to burn and soon it was out of control and he lost it on the side of the road. A scream erupted and at the same time he heard an explosion from behind him. Turning around he saw the SUV he'd once been in now flying in the air, flames licking the interior. For a moment he felt himself begin to panic even more, thinking he'd just killed Skye. The flames consumed his body once more and he screamed in agony as the fire flew from his hands. There was a flash of blue and in the next second the fire died and his vision became black.

"Why did you bring him here?" a small familiar voice asked.

"He needs our help Simmons." Skye said defending Ward. "You're the only doctor here capable to help him."

Relief flooded through him as he heard Skye's voice. Good, he hadn't killed her in his panic. Ward knew just from hearing those two sentences that he must be at Skye's base. Simmons was right though, he shouldn't be there. He had no right to be there. Everyone on that base had been his friend and he'd hurt them all by betraying them for his mentor.

"Fitz needed our help recovering because of what he did to him, or have you forgotten how he left us at the bottom of the ocean to die?" Simmons asked angrily.

"Simmons, I'm not asking you to forgive him or like him, but he needs our help. If we leave him out there he's going to hurt a lot of people. He's a walking bomb and he doesn't know how to control it."

"Fine." she said with a tone that told Ward she was glaring at his 'unconscious' form, even though he'd yet to actually open his eyes and announce his consciousness. He heard her heavy footsteps and then the door slam shut.

Skye sighed, "I know you're awake Grant. I can feel the difference in vibrations when someone is awake and sleeping."

Ward opened his eyes and looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. She's right though. I'd be better off out there."

"No. This is my operation. I'm the head of the gifted people project and you're my responsibility. I'm not going to leave you out there alone and scared." she said with a soft voice sitting on the edge of his bed.

"How come I don't feel it burning me anymore?" he asked curiously. "What did you do?"

"Remember the Icers that knock people out?"

"Yeah. Much better name than the night-night pistol."

"That's what I shot you with last night and it's a similar substance pumping through your IV. It should relatively do the same thing and help stabilize you."

He looked away at the mention of last night and tried to form an apology but all that came out was, "I'm glad you're not dead."

"You couldn't kill me on your best day, what makes you think you'd be successful on your worst?" She teased.

A small huff of a laugh passed through his lips and his mouth turned up at the corners. "You should have just shot me Skye, and I don't mean with the Icer." Ward said with a dark gleam in his eye.

"I wasn't going to kill you Grant. This isn't your fault. You have alien DNA in your body just like I do, and when you touched that Terrigen crystal it awakened the dormant alien side of your DNA, and it changed you."

"Great, now how do I get rid of it?"

Skye shuffled a little on the bed uncomfortably. "You…you can't Grant."

"So I'm going to be this monster for the rest of my life? You said it yourself Skye! I'm a walking bomb! I can't touch anything with out making it combust or explode," he croaked, tears threatening to fall.

All he'd wanted was to just live life alone where he couldn't hurt anyone again. He betrayed his friends for misplaced loyalty to his mentor, and he'd killed so many people thinking it was okay because of that bastard who had twisted and warped his mind since he was a teenager. Now he was stuck with the fire from Hell burning through his body. He didn't believe in God growing up, but maybe this was his way of punishing Ward for all the innocent lives he'd taken.

"Hey, it's going to be okay Grant. I'll train you and we'll get your powers under control…together." Skye assured confidently, her voice lowering into a softer tone at the last word.

He felt her hand on his and almost snapped it back as though she was the one who'd burned him. Instead, he just tensed a little and after a moment began to relax under her touch. The look in her eyes told him she was being sincere and that she really did want to help him. He didn't understand.

"But…I thought you hated me?"

"Don't believe everything you hear," she said with a wink.

He felt his heart do a little flip, but immediately Ward put himself on guard. There was no way Skye could actually like him. Not after all the wrong things he'd done to her.

"It's late. I'm going to get some sleep," Skye withdrew her hand from his and stood up.

"How long was I out for?"

"Day and a half. I kept hitting you with the Icer every so often. You weren't handling the transition too well so if was safer for the both of us that you stay out while I got us here."

"Yeah. Smart move…Rookie." he teased a smile on his face for the first time in days.

"God, that seems like a lifetime ago." she looked at him and he could see her going down memory lane. "Are you hungry? I can go pick something up from the cafeteria for you if you'd like. God knows nobody else will walk into this room while you're conscious."

"If it's not too much trouble. I don't want to make you go out of your way since you were just about to go sleep."

"No problem at all." Skye assured him a genuine smile on her face. "Your body is burning away all the calories and energy you have as it changes. That's why you haven't been able to lift your head. I can help with that if you'd like."

"Yeah. That would be much appreciated."

"Breathe and relax. This is going to feel weird."

Skye held her hand up and closed her eyes to concentrate her energy. She sent out vibrations that moved his body until he was in a sitting position. Ward just looked at her in awe and thought, ' _she's so beautiful'._

"Better?" she asked moving her hand back down.

He nodded speechless and watched her walk out of the white room. It was covered in white hexagon tiles and bright white lights. There was a TV, couch, table, and bathroom in his little suite. Ward knew back from his time in the agency that everything was white so as not to over stimulate someone. It was to keep them in a calm and stable mindset. He'd always hated the rooms. He called them Snow Cages. Everything around you was white and you were trapped inside even though they had a door to walk in and out of. Not that the person occupying the room would ever be able to get out unless the defense system was de-activated. He noticed how he'd been stripped of his jacket and pants. They were lying off to the side looking like they'd gone through a blowtorch. Now, he was wearing a white cotton tee and some white sweatpants that actually felt more like clouds than clothing. He sat there lost in his thoughts about the transformation, his past, and the words Skye had said to him since she'd arrived. Her first look at him in over a year and she saw him bathing in flames. As his eyes glazed over the room again he noticed something of color on the table and he didn't have to force a smile. Battleship. He knew only Skye could have put that there. After all, that was the only game they'd ever played together while he was training her to be the agent she now was. Skye came back into the room as he was still smiling at the silly game.

"I figured you might like that." Skye had a grin on her face that brought him back to the days when they actually had been playing it.

"Yeah."

"I brought you a turkey sandwich. I know you consider your body a temple so this was the only thing we had that you'd even remotely think about putting in your stomach," she said setting the tray on his lap. The sandwich was on a plate surrounded by lays chips and a pickle. There was a bottle of water on the tray too with the symbol of the agency.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Eat up." She encouraged sitting beside him on his bed again.

"Thought you were going to bed."

"I wanted to make sure you actually ate everything and didn't pretend to. It's not poisoned, I promise."

"Ha. How reassuring."

"Oh please. Grant, if I was to kill you it'd be after I kissed you." Skye blurted with a scoff.

Both of their faces turned a little red and for Skye's sake he ignored it. "Um, good sandwich," he said with a forced smile after taking a bite in the awkward silence.

"Yeah. Um so, I was thinking we could start your training in two days."

"Okay. Are you sure it's safe? I don't want to hurt anybody else."

"Grant, you'll be fine."

He nodded and took another bite of the sandwich. Skye placed her hand on his leg and gave him a reassuring smile.

"You have to forgive yourself Grant. You're a new person now, don't let the mistakes and wrong doings from your past keep you from embracing this change. This is your second chance."

"I don't know how to do that," he confessed sheepishly.

"How about start thinking of yourself as Grant, instead of Agent Ward. You're not him anymore."

He nodded taking it into consideration as he continued to eat the sandwich. He really was hungry but didn't want to scarf it down in front of her.

"I got it! We'll call you Hellfire." Skye loudly announced, her eyes lighting up in excitement.

"What?" he asked through a cough. Her sudden excitement had scared him and he'd started choking on the bite in his mouth.

"Everyone else in the program has a codename. Mine is Quake."

"Wow, that's super scary. I'm almost…quaking in my boots." Ward said with a wolfish grin.

"Yeah because I haven't heard that before." Skye rolled her eyes but he could see she was trying not to smile. "I'll be right back."

He watched Skye jog out of the room and when she returned minutes later she was carrying a black set of clothes in her hands.

"What is that?"

"Your training gear…Hellfire."

Ward shook his head in amusement and set aside his finished tray. Skye set the clothes down on the table beside his bed and picked up the tray.

"I'll see you in the morning, and we'll do some small exercises in here. Goodnight Grant," she gave him a soft smile

"Alright. Goodnight Skye, and…thank you."

He watched her walk out of the room with his empty tray and the lights switched into a night mode illuminating dimly the door. He laid his head back down on the pillow feeling tired again despite having slept for a day and a half, and only being awake less than half an hour. He looked over at the new pair of clothes and couldn't help but smile a little. Skye was right; He could make this his second chance. He was literally a new person, and this was his opportunity to make things right, to start over, and to build his life the way he wanted.

Grant closed his eyes and let sleep claim him once again. When he awoke the next morning it would be a new day and he'd become who he wanted to be and who Skye wanted him to be, Grant.

 **End**

 **So I know a lot of you reading this are probably fans of my other work New Kid on The Block and I am so sorry it's been a long time since I've updated. I promise I am slowly working on your next chapter but I underestimated college life and how hard it was gonna kick me.**


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